Something thwacked me on my neck. A small paper missile; the ones made by spitting on paper and rolling it into a tight ball, ricocheted onto my desk. I swung around and Jackson leered. His lips stretched taut showing the gaps in his front teeth. “Your old man’s gonna get it today. The miners and the wharfies have something special for the pigs today. They’ve got guns.”

I made an O of surprise with my mouth. “Leave me alone,” I whispered.

Miss Bagnall lifted her head from her marking. “Adelaide Thomas, no talking. You know the rule during silent reading.”

“But … ” The class, nearly all children of striker’s, snickered as Miss Bagnall placed two fingers to her lips. “Shh.” And the class aped her reprimand. I should have known better than to try to explain. There were hundreds of the striker’s kids in our school. Roberta Thomas and I were the only policeman’s kids who attended Omanaki School and sympathy for the families of the striking workers ran high. The old school bell burred out, luncheon break. Four classes, in the unit, eager to be free of the restraints of the classroom, surged along the long corridors competing for the same space. The jostling and elbowing at the narrow doorway was intense as bodies crushed their way through and spilled out into the playground, and freedom.

As usual, the striker’s kids gathered at the far end of the school playground. Today their mood seemed different. Ugly! I could smell it. I even thought I could taste it. Better stay clear of them, I thought as I moved out of their line of sight. They’ve been bugging me for weeks.

“Want to play marbles Johnny,” I called as I approached the well worn patch of grass at the back of the old school building where we had dug out a series of holes.

“No pings. Only dropsy and, you can’t use your Tor.”

From my bag I dug out my newest acquisitions. “These OK?”

Johnny’s eyes lit. “Cor! What’re those?”

“Fish eyeballs,” I said as I rolled the round white hard balls back and forth in the palm of my hand.

“Grr orrff. You’re telling porkies,” he said as he picked one up and held it up to the light. He threw it in the air, rolled it along the ground and pinged it with one of his glass marbles. It clinked. His eyes widened and sparkled.